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EnRoute - April 13, 2016

TRALA in the News - Assembly and Senate negotiators in the state of New York unveiled a budget agreement for 2016 and 2017. This agreement includes a fix for in-state and out-of-state heavy duty trucks seeking to operate in the state of New York. Since the state supreme court ruled that the registration and decal fees for the Highway Use Tax (HUT) were unconstitutional for out-of-state trucks, all out-of-state carriers have been unable to get HUT decals which are necessary to legally operate in New York. FULL STORY

TOP STORIES

The new lease accounting standard is likely to have a much greater impact on lessees than lessors, especially in term of work. FULL STORY

The IRS has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would change the definition of vehicles that fall under excise taxes on the sale of highway tractors, trailers, trucks and tires; the use of highway vehicles on highway, and the definition of highway vehicle related to these taxes. FULL STORY

Electronic logging devices to track driver hours of service become mandatory in December 2017 and while the final rule provides everything that is needed for compliance there are still a few things that fleets need to consider that are not spelled out in the rule. FULL STORY

TECHNOLOGY TRENDS

Cummins has been awarded a $4.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop a Class 6 commercial plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. FULL STORY

The Spicer Smart Suite intelligent load monitoring system (ILMS) from Dana Holding Corporation is now available. This advanced technology option for telehandlers uses data from across the vehicle to prevent tip-over accidents, provide better estimates of static loads, and supply intelligent calibration management.FULL STORY

Peterbilt Motors Company will begin using a new paint formulation for its heavy-duty truck cabs and sleepers. The change will enhance color qualities and durability and the new coatings make productions more environmentally friendly and reduce the company's carbon footprint. FULL STORY

BRIEFLY

Maxon Lift Corporation will further support its growth in Canada with the launch of Maxon Canada. The company has secured a local warehouse for finished goods in Brampton, Ontario and will also issue a Canadian price book and will be conducting business in Canadian dollars. . .The Peterbilt Technician Institute (PTI) has expanded with a third location in Exton, PA. Approximately 100 students graduate from PTI each year and are placed into service technician careers throughout the Peterbilt dealer network. . .J.J. Keller & Associates, Inc. will be hosting nearly 70 complimentary educational events from April through June of this year to assist companies in complying with government regulations. To view a calendar of the upcoming free compliance seminars and webcasts, visit JJKellerServices.com/calendar. . .Daimler Trucks North America and Zonar are building on their partnership and will be able to offer over-the-air engine programming beginning next year. . .Volvo Trucks North America delivered its 100,000th truck equipped with its groundbreaking I-Shift automated manual transmission to Watkins & Shepard Trucking. . .Carrier Transicold celebrated the 10th anniversary of the debut of its hybrid diesel-electric Vector trailer refrigeration platform in North America. . .For the second year in a row, Continental North America was ranked one of America's Best Employers 2016 by Forbes Magazine. . .Great Dane's Terre Haute facility has named Bryan R. Fisher as the 2015 recipient of their inaugural Employee of the Year Award. Fisher has devoted over 22 years of service to Great Dane.

PEOPLE

Isuzu Commercial Truck of America, Inc. has promoted Shaun Skinner to president from his role as executive vice president and general manager. . .Jonathan M. Randall has been appointed senior vice president for North American Sales for Mack Trucks. . .NationaLease has hired Travis Yeomans as business development manager for National Accounts.

MONEY MATTERS

A new study estimates that the technology required to fully automate heavy-duty trucks will add upwards of $23,400 to their current price tag and they also predict that fleet operators will need some form of government support to help defray the cost. FULL STORY

KPMG is projecting for 2016 a total of $73 billion worth of mergers and acquisitions in the global transportation and logistics industry. FULL STORY

TRALA ANNOUNCEMENTS

TRALA Industry Scholarship Application Information

TRALA members and their dependents are invited to apply for TRALA's Industry Scholarship. We're moving our industry forward by awarding up to four-$2,500 scholarships to qualified applicants. Applications can be submitted by June 1, 2016 for consideration. Visit our website for details: www.trala.org